St Augustine’s Church, Westbury
Working at Heights Procedures
For those working at heights within the bounds of the Church premises on duties outside those associated with normal Church services.
Organisation and planning
- Every person working at heights should ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which, so far as is reasonably practicable, is safe.
- Organisation and planning of work at height should also include planning for emergencies and rescue, and ensure work at height is not undertaken during adverse weather conditions.
Competence
- Every person working at heights should ensure that no person engages in any activity, including organisation, planning and supervision, in relation to work at height or equipment for use in such work, unless he is competent to do so or, if being trained, is being supervised by a competent person.
Avoidance of risks
- Every person working at heights should ensure that work is not carried out at height where it is reasonably practicable to carry out the work safely otherwise than at height.
- Where work is carried out at height, every person working at heights shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.
Selection of work equipment
- Person working at heights should give priority to collective protection measures over personal protection measures. They must also take account of the distance and consequences of a potential fall and the need for easy and timely evacuation and rescue in an emergency.
Requirements for particular work equipment
- Work equipment should be provided where necessary, including guardrails, toe-boards and barriers, working platforms, nets and airbags, personal fall protection systems and ladders.
Fragile surfaces
- No person at work should pass across or near, or work on, from or near, a fragile surface where it is reasonably practicable to carry out work safely and under appropriate ergonomic conditions without his doing so.
- Person working at heights must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that suitable and sufficient platforms, coverings, guardrails or similar means of support or protection are provided and used so that any foreseeable loading is supported by such supports or borne by such protection.
- If a risk of falling remains, person working at heights must take suitable and sufficient measures to minimise the distance and consequence of a fall.
Inspection of places
- So far as is reasonably practicable, person working at heights should inspect the surface, and every parapet, permanent rail or other such fall protection measure of every place of work at height prior to its use.
Use of ladders
- Every year many people are injured, some fatally, while using ladders. More than half the accidents occur because ladders are not securely placed and fixed. A ladder is a means of access, not a safe working platform.
The church representative involved in securing the contractor/volunteer or providing access should ensure a risk assessment is undertaken and a method statement agreed before any work is started.
PCC Westbury May 2025